Nigeria’s chief of defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa has called for the Nigeria’s borders with Niger Republic, Cameroon, Benin, and Chad, to be completely fenced to curb the entrance of armed groups amid escalating insecurity within the region.

General Christopher Musa, who spoke at a security conference in the capital Abuja, said “border management is very critical,” citing Pakistan’s 1,350 km (839 miles) fence with Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia’s 1,400 km barrier with Iraq as successful precedents.

Nigeria’s longest border (1,975 km) is with Cameroon in the northeast, a Boko Haram hotspot. It also shares 1,500 km with Niger and 85 km with Chad, nations that have lost territory to armed groups.

This is the first time a top Nigerian official has publicly suggested such a measure. “Other countries, because of the level of insecurity they have, had to fence their borders,” he said. “It is Nigeria that everybody is interested in. That is why we need to secure fully and take control of our borders,” he said. “It is critical for our survival and sovereignty.”

Nigeria’s military has had a 16-year battle with insurgency in the northeast led by Islamist militant group Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.